Proverbs 24
New King James Version
Do Not Envy Evil Men
24 Do not be (A)envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
2 For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.
3 Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4 By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 (B)A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
6 (C)For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
7 (D)Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 He who (E)plots to do evil
Will be called a [a]schemer.
9 The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you (F)faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.
11 (G)Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not (H)He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man (I)according to his deeds?
13 My son, (J)eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
14 (K)So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a [b]prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
16 (L)For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
(M)But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
17 (N)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Lest the Lord see it, and [c]it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
19 (O)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, (P)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise:
(Q)It is not good to [d]show partiality in judgment.
24 (R)He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have (S)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
27 (T)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.
28 (U)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
[e]For would you deceive with your lips?
29 (V)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, (W)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 (X)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 (Y)So shall your poverty come like [f]a prowler,
And your need like [g]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:8 Lit. master of evil plots
- Proverbs 24:14 Lit. latter end
- Proverbs 24:18 Lit. it be evil in His eyes
- Proverbs 24:23 Lit. recognize faces
- Proverbs 24:28 LXX, Vg. Do not deceive
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. one who walks about
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. a man with a shield
Proverbs 24
American Standard Version
24 Be not thou envious against evil men;
Neither desire to be with them:
2 For their heart studieth oppression,
And their lips talk of mischief.
3 Through wisdom is a house builded;
And by understanding it is established;
4 And by knowledge are the chambers filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man [a]is strong;
Yea, a man of knowledge [b]increaseth might.
6 For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war;
And in the multitude of counsellors there is [c]safety.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool:
He openeth not his mouth in the gate.
8 He that deviseth to do evil,
Men shall call him a mischief-maker.
9 The thought of foolishness is sin;
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If thou faint in the day of adversity,
Thy strength is small.
11 Deliver them that are carried away unto death,
And those that are [d]ready to be slain [e]see that thou hold back.
12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not [f]this;
Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider it?
And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?
And shall not he render to every man according to his work?
13 My son, eat thou honey, for it is good;
And the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste:
14 So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul;
If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward,
And thy hope shall not be cut off.
15 Lay not wait, [g]O wicked man, against the [h]habitation of the righteous;
Destroy not his [i]resting-place:
16 For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again;
But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown;
18 Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him,
And he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers;
Neither be thou envious at the wicked:
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king;
And company not with them that are given to change:
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly;
And the destruction [j]from them both, who knoweth it?
23 These also are sayings of the wise.
To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous,
Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight,
And a good blessing shall come upon them.
26 He [k]kisseth the lips
Who giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare thy work without,
And make it ready for thee in the field;
And afterwards build thy house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause;
[l]And deceive not with thy lips.
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.
30 I went by the field of the sluggard,
And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,
The face thereof was covered with [m]nettles,
And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then I beheld, and considered well;
I saw, and received instruction:
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep;
34 So shall thy poverty come as a robber,
And thy want as an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:5 Hebrew is in strength.
- Proverbs 24:5 Hebrew strengtheneth might.
- Proverbs 24:6 Or, victory
- Proverbs 24:11 Hebrew tottering to the slaughter.
- Proverbs 24:11 Or, forbear thou not to deliver
- Proverbs 24:12 Or, this man
- Proverbs 24:15 Or, as a wicked man
- Proverbs 24:15 Or, pasture
- Proverbs 24:15 Or, fold
- Proverbs 24:22 Or, of their years
- Proverbs 24:26 Or, kisseth with the lips
- Proverbs 24:28 Hebrew And wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?
- Proverbs 24:31 Or, wild vetches
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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